A diagnostic ultrasonic imaging system for medical use forms images of tissues of a human body by electrically exciting a transducer element or an array of transducer elements to generate short ultrasonic pulses, which are caused to travel into the body. Echoes from the tissues are received by the transducer element or array of transducer elements and are converted into electrical signals. The electrical signals are amplified and used to form a cross sectional image of the tissues. Echographic examination is also used outside of the medical field.
While a number of advances have been made in echographic examining, further advances in optimizing acoustical properties of a transducer face the potential problem of sacrificing desired electrical properties. Initially, an imaging transducer consisted of a single transducer element. Acoustical properties were improved by providing a transducer formed by a one-dimensional array of transducer elements. Conventionally, one-dimensional transducer arrays have a rectangular or circular configuration, but this is not critical. Acoustical properties may be improved by providing a two-dimensional array in either a rectangular or annular configuration.
Focusing plays an important role in optimizing the acoustical properties of a transducer device. U.S. Pat. No. 4,477,783 to Glenn describes a mechanical lens used to focus acoustic energy to and from a single transducer element. Electronic focusing provides an alternative to the mechanical lens. Two-dimensional arrays can be phased by delaying signals to selected transducer elements so as to achieve a desired direction and focal range. Electronically focused transducer arrays offer the advantage that they can be held stationary during an echographic examination, potentially increasing resolution and the useful life of the device. The transducer elements are equal in size, so that a two-dimensional array can form a piecewise approximation of the desired curved delay profile. In order to reduce the total number of transducer elements, the number of transducer elements in the elevation dimension can be reduced. To obtain acceptable focusing properties, these elevation transducer elements are often different sizes to form a coarser piecewise linear approximation of the desired curved delay profile. The problem is that there are difficulties in employing the same driving circuitry to efficiently drive transducer elements of different sizes since the area of a radiating region of a transducer element is inversely proportional to the electrical impedance of that transducer element.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a transducer device having a plurality of transducer elements that can be efficiently driven using conventional driving circuitry without regard for comparative sizes of the transducer elements.